Sunday, 3 August 2014

All allegations of the involvement of Donetsk militia in the crash of the Malaysian Boeing-777 are unsubstantiated and, for the most part, based on reports from the Internet, Russian defense officials believe. The Russian Defense Ministry analyzed the results of the investigation conducted by Washington and studied the so-called evidence, to which U.S. intelligence indicated. According to Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, they do not tally with the data of the objective control of the Russian General Staff.
"It was stated that U.S. technical intelligence data and satellite photography confirmed that the missile was launched from the territory controlled by the rebels. Question: Where are these data?" Antonov said in an interview with Russia 24 TV channel.
"Some U.S. intelligence officials, apparently secret officials, as long as their names remain unknown, released the comments that, according to the State Department, were supposed to prove the guilt of the militia even Russia's involvement in the disaster," he recalled. However, according to Antonov, these data have not been provided.
"The American experts excluded the involvement of Ukrainian military in the crash of the Boeing, as the plane was flying out of the range of missiles. A question arises: are the Americans ready to be responsible for the fact that this was so? Do they know where missile complexes are located in Ukraine? How can Americans comment on the Russian objective control data? Or may be, they have nothing else to say?" said the representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Antonov is also skeptical about the statement from the Ukrainian side about the tragedy with the Boeing.
"These figures actively comment possible causes of the accident, but generally they refer to social networks," said Antonov. As an example, he referred to photographs of Buk missile systems that are said to belong to militia, although they are at service of the Ukrainian air defense troops.
According to Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, in June and July of this year, the Russian side has recorded nine attacks of the Russian territory on the part of Ukraine. Dozens of Ukrainian shells and mines exploded in border areas, the official told Russia 24 TV channel.
"There was aimed fire conducted on the border patrol unit. Our citizen Andrey Shulyatyev was killed. He is survived by three teenage daughters," said Antonov.
Addressing representatives of the United States, the official asked: "If the territory of the United States were fired from a neighboring territory, and, God forbid, an American citizen were killed, what would the United States do? The answer to this this question is clear, - he continued. - We show responsibility and restraint instead."
According to Antonov, in this regard, "it is perfectly clear, who provokes whom on the border." "You'd better pay attention to the constant shelling of Donetsk and Luhansk, where civilians are killed," he said addressing the Western military, including U.S. intelligence officers, who claim that the group of the Russian troops on the Russian-Ukrainian border has been growing recently.
On July 20, as a result of the shooting from the Ukrainian territory, employees of the Russian customs post Gukovo had to be evacuated. On July 17, Ukrainian shells exploded at the Russian checkpoint Kujbyshevo. On July 13, in the Donetsk district of the Rostov region of Russia, a man was killed, two others were injured after a Ukrainian shell exploded near a residential house.